Reading 4 Questions
How does an atmosphere affect the surface of a planet and the ability of life to exist?
A dense atmosphere insulates the surface of a planet so that more heat is retained AND The composition of the atmosphere is also important: certain gases lead to a greenhouse effect, allowing the planet to be warmer than you would expect from its position around the Sun
Imagine you are a travel agent in the next century. An eccentric billionaire asks you to arrange a "Guinness Book of Solar System Records" kind of tour. Where would you direct him to find the following (use this chapter and Appendix F and Appendix G ): A.the least-dense planet B.the densest planet C.the largest moon in the solar system D.excluding the jovian planets, the planet where you would weigh the most on its surface (Hint: Weight is directly proportional to surface gravity.) E.the smallest planet F.the planet that takes the longest time to rotate G.the planet that takes the shortest time to rotate H.the planet with a diameter closest to Earth's I.the moon with the thickest atmosphere J.the densest moon K.the most massive moon
A. Saturn; B. Earth; C. Ganymede; D. Earth; E. Mercury; F. Venus; G. Jupiter; H. Venus; I. Titan; J. Io; K. Ganymede.
Select the correct option(s)
A. Venus, Earth, and Mars are similar in that they consist of rock and metal for the most part B. they are terrestrial planets, closer in to the Sun than the jovian planets C. all have volcanic activity on their surfaces
What characteristics do the worlds in our solar system have in common that lead astronomers to believe that they all formed from the same "mother cloud" (solar nebula)?
A.their orbits lie in roughly the same plane B. They generally revolve and rotate in the same direction C. The chemical makeup of the giant planets is similar to the Sun. D. All of the above Correct
What is the source of Earth's magnetic field?
As we know from the study of electromagnetism, it is electric charges in motion that generate a magnetic field. AND The rotation and internal circulation of Earth's iron and nickel core creates what is, in effect, an electric current.
How do asteroids and comets differ?
Asteroids are composed primarily of rock and metal while comets are typically icy objects AND Asteriods reside in the inner part of the solar system. Comets come from the outer solar system and become visible as they get closer to the Sun and the ice evaporates AND Asteroids tend to have greater densities than comets
Why does Venus have less impact craters than Mars
Because of its dense atmosphere, Venus is protected from smaller cratering impacts. Smaller chunks of material vaporize completely as they pass through its atmosphere. AND Venus appears to have been active geologically more recently than Mars, so its craters were destroyed more quickly
Why is the shape of the magnetosphere not spherical like the shape of Earth?
Charged particles from the Sun moving at high velocities interact with the magnetic field, compressing it in the direction of the Sun and elongating the field away from the Sun.
Venus rotates backward and Uranus and Pluto spin about an axis tipped nearly on its side. Based on what you learned about the motion of small bodies in the solar system and the surfaces of the planets, what might be the cause of these strange rotations?
Collisions were frequent in the early solar system, so it is not unlikely that these strange rotations are due to collisions of these planets with significantly large objects during their formation or subsequent evolution.
What is comparative planetology and why is it useful to astronomers?
Comparative planetology is the study of how planets work and evolve by comparing them and the processes that have influenced their development.
How is Earth's Moon different from the larger moons of the giant planets?
Earth's moon resides relatively close to the Sun, so its composition is primarily rocky AND Earth's Moon is not geologically active
Frozen water exists on the lunar surface primarily in which location? Why?
Frozen water exists primarily in deep craters on the Moon's north pole. Parts of these craters are sometimes in shadow and therefore do not receive enough energy from the Sun to evaporate the ice and escape into space.
We were able to conclude that the Moon is dead geologically as a result of
Humans landing on the moon
Is it likely that life ever existed on Mars?
Mars is known to have had a wetter, warmer surface between 3 and 4 billion years ago. Thus, it is widely speculated that Mars may have developed an independent life at that time.
Using Appendix F, which planet(s) might you expect not to have significant seasonal activity? Why?
Mercury and Jupiter, because the inclination of their orbits is close to 0°. Venus might also be included because a 177° tilt is close to 180°, which is, effectively, zero.
What is the main consequence of Mercury's orbit being so highly eccentric?
Mercury's distance from the Sun varies hugely, ranging from 46 million km at perihelion to 70 million km at aphelion.
What is the relationship between Mercury's rotational period and orbital period?
Mercury's rotation is 59 Earth-days long, while the year is 88 Earth-days long. That is a ratio of 3 to 2. Thus, three Mercury days equals two Mercury years.
How was the Mars Odyssey spacecraft able to detect water on Mars without landing on it?
Odyssey used a gamma-ray spectrometer to detect hydrogen below the martian surface.
Why is there so much more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of Venus than in that of Earth?
On Earth, much of the carbon dioxide originally in the atmosphere dissolved in the ocean water and is now found in sea sediments.
Why is a decrease in Earth's ozone harmful to life?
Ozone blocks solar ultraviolet radiation from reaching Earth's surface
What are the advantages of using radar imaging rather than ordinary cameras to study the topography of Venus?
Radar (radio waves) can penetrate Venus' planetary cloud cover, whereas visible light or infrared radiation can't.
What is the composition of the Moon, and how does it compare to the composition of Earth?
The Moon is principally composed of silicate rocks, whereas Earth has more metals and volatile compounds. Earth has an iron core, but the Moon does not. Earth has liquid water in its surface layer, but the Moon does not.
Why does the Moon not have an atmosphere?
The Moon's mass, and therefore its gravitational force, is not large enough to retain gases and volatile compounds. Therefore, any gases released on the Moon quickly escape into space.
Why did the Sun form at the center of the solar nebula?
The Sun formed at the center due to frictional forces, caused that material to stick together, and once the mass and density decreased sufficiently, nuclear fusion caused a star to form: the Sun
What are some of the properties giant planets?
The giant planets also have many more moons compared to the terrestrial planets. AND The giant planets lie farther from the Sun and are large compared to the terrestrial planets.
What does a planet need in order to retain an atmosphere?
The gravity of a planet helps to determine whether an atmosphere can be retained.
What are the maria composed of?
The maria are composed chiefly of basalt.
Why are the lunar mountains smoothly rounded rather than having sharp, pointed peaks (as they were almost always depicted in science-fiction illustrations and films before the first lunar landings)?
The primary reason why the lunar mountains are smoothly rounded is that there has been no water/ice erosion on the Moon as there has been on Earth.
What was the solar nebula like?
The solar nebula was a huge cloud of material made up of gas and dust.
Where would you look for some "original" planetesimals left over from the formation of our solar system?
They are found at a variety of distances from the Sun, so they can inform us about the entire structure of the solar system.
Earth's atmosphere is about 4/5 nitrogen and 1/5 oxygen; True or False?
True
Mercury can get very hot by human standards (roughly 700 K at noontime) and then become very cold at night (down to roughly 100 K), the largest variation in temperature for any planet. True or false?
True
With no wind or water erosion of rocks, what is the mechanism for the creation of the lunar "soil?" Billions of years of impacts breaking up the rocks and scattering the debris over the surface have created lunar "soil." Enough impacts have occurred to cover much of the surface with sand- and dust-sized particles. True or False?
True
Using Appendix F, which planets might you expect to have extreme seasons?
Uranus AND Pluto
Is it likely that life ever existed on Venus ?
Venus is too hot and dry for life, and there is no evidence that it once had a more comfortable climate.
Why is Mars red?
Winds on Mars are strong enough to blow surface dust all over the planet. This dust contain iron oxide, which gives it the rusty red color.
What is the composition of clouds on Mars?
dust clouds; water-ice, like those on Earth AND clouds of frozen carbon dioxide crystals (dry ice)
Any rock produced by cooling from a molten state is
igneous
We believe that Venus started with a significant supply of water. Explain where that water is now.
liquid and either froze as temperatures dropped or evaporated AND water quickly became water vapor. This was lost into space when ultra-violet broke the water into H and O and lighter elements escaped from the top of the atmosphere.
What are Earth's core and mantle made of? Explain how we know
mantle is made of rock, which we know from chemical analysis of samples from upper mantle material that is ejected occasionally from volcanoes.
What is the thickest interior layer of Earth? The thinnest?
mantle, crust
Any rock produced by physical and chemical alteration (without melting) under high temperature and pressure is
metamorphic
Any rock that has not experienced great heat or pressure and therefore remains representative of the original condensed materials from the solar nebula is
primitive
Any rock formed by the deposition and cementing of fine grains of material, such as pieces of igneous rocks or the shells of living things is
sedimentary
The fission hypothesis suggests
that the Moon was once part of Earth but separated early in their history
In which atmospheric layer are almost all water-based clouds formed?
troposhpere
